Dad welcomes newborn daughter on Father’s Day

Alec Marrujo, a valley local, was expecting to meet his newborn daughter on June 13.
But like many things in fatherhood, it didn't quite go as planned.

"We were kind of expecting her a week ago," said Marrujo. "But we were joking that it would be on Father's Day, you know, and that she'd be my present."

Isla Marrujo was born at 7:23 a.m. Sunday, June 20, at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. She gave her dad the best Father's Day gift.

"I love that it was Father's Day. He got to share a little special bond with her," said Isla's mother Adrianna Gutierrez. "Alec is a good dad. He's there for, you know, our son. I know he's gonna be there for our daughter. He provides for them. He makes sure all their needs are met. Even little silly ones like more Legos. I can't tell you how many Legos he buys."

Isla's is their second child. They have a one-year-old son.

"When he rocks our son to bed and he can be there for way longer than I could have- and he's so patient with him and it doesn't bother him," said Gutierrez.

Alec is now ready to have a daddy-daughter relationship.

"It feels different when you have a daughter. I guess when you're the dad because everyone jokes daddy's girl- stuff like that," said Alec. "So I don't know. I just feel like more protective over her already."

Alec learned how to be a good dad when he couldn't learn from his own.

"Well, my dad actually wasn't in my life. So just kind of what he didn't do was like, I use that," said Alec. "It's just so much emotion. You're like, wow! This person I'm going to take care of for the rest of her life, and you're kind of responsible for all that at once."

Gutierrez and Alec found out about the pregnancy in the middle of the pandemic.

"It was a little disappointing because he couldn't go to any of like the appointments whereas, with my son, he didn't miss one," said Gutierrez.

But now, Alec doesn't want to miss another second. He already has some pretty big dreams for her.

"She'll be the first woman president of the United States," said Alec.

But after such a dark year for all of us, he sees her for what she is:

"She is a little glimmer of light," said Alec.